This is a long article, so get comfortable. I want to make this article as informative as possible so you know what to expect and how to work with a designer, and the basics of design and printing. However, as with anything new, there will be a learning curve.
HOT TIP- Start right-- how you choose a freelance graphic designer or a graphic design studio will make all the difference. Look for section below "How do I choose a graphic designer" for details.
Why is graphic design important to my business?
The quick answer… because there is too much competition and your business needs to look professional and fresh. The long answer… your business is like building a house; start with great materials and you will set the bar high.
Developing a solid visual identity for your business will set a solid base for it to grow on. That first impression your business card makes, or the first impression your customer gets when they visit your website is crucial to them taking some kind of action. You want every piece of paper you distribute and every online page to have your branding… showing professionalism, creating trust and recognition. You may not want to be the next Sony or Google, but you can still look just as great and stand out in your target market.
What design components do I need if I am a start-up business?
Depends on what kind of business you are starting. But most definitely you will need a strong logo appropriate to your industry.
You will need an identity kit (business cards, letterhead, envelopes, thank you notes and envelopes), a mouthpiece item (brochure, postcard, catalog or media kit of some sort), product photography (depends on business), and a simple, well functioning
website design.
How do I build my brand (brand awareness and recognition)?
If you are selling a service or products, everything you do or say or distribute should reflect the brand. How you answer your business phone, consistency amongst your marketing materials and website design, your packaging design and label designs, the quality of your printing, your customer service and more. Develop a simple but well functioning website, showcase stunning product photography, blog or hire someone to blog lots of relevant content, have a Facebook page for your business, remind customers about your new products and offers through an email marketing program like monthly newsletters, email offers and more.
I'm thinking about buying Adobe Creative Suite myself and saving the money of hiring a designer. Any thoughts?
This can work if you answer Yes to the following:
a. Do you have LOTS of time to spare to learn this new software (Illustrator, In-Design and Photoshop are all very different).
b. Are you very computer savvy?
c. Do you have the creative skills to think like a right-brainer and create design-oriented solutions?
d. Can you create a simple and effective message while combining creativity and language skills?
HOT TIP- Focus on what you are best at and leave the branding, design and visual communications to an expert.
How do I choose a graphic designer?
Communicate with your prospective freelance graphic designer a few times via email and phone to see how promptly they return emails and calls. If the designer is local, meet them! Look at their portfolio. If you want labels designed for your vitamins line, but don’t see any previous vitamin clients in the portfolio, don’t worry. Look for overall versatility and style. A good designer will be able to adapt to most styles. Look for how they present themselves and general business practices/etiquette-- were you given a business card? What about knowledge? General attitude of the designer? Ask the designer about their current workload and share your timeline for the project.
What can I expect with logo design? I like a few logos like the Nike and Chanel logo, other than that I am clueless.
It's the simple things that take the most thought. Nike and Chanel are fantastic "marks" or logos, but they were not created overnight. There was a team behind the building of those logos. A good logo must be simple and strong. Preferably not redundant in any way (for example, if your company name is Lightning Bolt Movies it would be redundant to have an icon of a lightning bolt and a movie clapper; perhaps a stylized bolt or a combination of those elements, or just a nice font would be better options. A logo must be easy to remember (think in terms of being a "mark" of some sort). Sometimes a logo originates from the essence of the company. For example, a restaurant wouldn't necessary need a "logo" A restaurant could just use a beautiful font for the name and that itself sets them apart from everyone else-- it creates a feeling, an atmosphere and speaks to the essence of the brand.
When working with a designer in developing a logo provide plenty of examples of ones you like AND don't like. Keep in mind the first round of logos may not hit the jackpot. Be patient and provide constructive feedback.
HOT TIP- Sometimes a logo may not be exactly what you want, but it might be the perfect fit for your business. Remember it's about what is right for your business and customer.
I sent my printer a logo I grabbed from my website. But they said they need a vector logo. What is that?
Images grabbed from the web have a resolution of 72 dpi, but images necessary for printing must be 300 dpi. Hence, grabbing anything from a website will result in pixelated printing (unless the image you are grabbing is a high resolution image to begin with). A vector logo is created in Illustrator and has an extension of .pdf, .ai or .eps. Vector format allows one to scale the logo to very large size without compromising quality in any way.
HOT TIP- When getting a logo designed, ask you designer for the following formats- .jpg, .png, .pdf, .eps, and .ai.
I've tried to send files for printing before to a printer but did not understand their file requirements. Can you help?
All print files should be in CMYK color, meaning full-color or 4-color. CMYK is a combination of cyan, magenta, yellow and black to create the millions of colors. All files must be 300dpi. Images grabbed from the internet may be low resolution and will print pixelated. If you have color stretching all the way to the edges of the page, it is called bleed. You must add bleed to all your files in that case.
I have a new product line and I need to develop packaging designs for all of it. Where do I start?
Depending on your goals, budget, type of product and market analysis, Schnauz Design can develop and design a dieline for boxes and various packages, do the packaging design or label design, and any illustrations or renderings needed. Moreover, we offer boutique style design for less. We will do a creative consolation with you and walk you through the process.
Where can I print professional labels for my box and jar products?
We have resources for you-- Lightning Labels and SixB Labels are good ones. You can also contact us and we can handle all packaging design and printing for you.
I am attending my first tradeshow to present my product line. What do I need?
Great packaging design and label design to do justice to your product is a must. Additionally, a clean booth with 2-3 pop up banners showcasing some beautiful product photography and your brand! Business cards, plenty of brochures, catalogs and some candy. Also keep a mailing list sheet and offer a drawing of some sort if possible.
My business is eco-friendly. How do you incorporate this into packaging design and printing?
We love doing sustainable design and printing (or eco-friendly design and printing) because there is lots of room for being really creative. When designing for sustainable packaging we take into consideration the dieline of the box/container/bag. Can we revise the dieline to reduce amount of substrate being used? Then, what are the recyclable materials we can use? What eco-friendly papers can we use and what about soy-based inks? These are some of the questions we start answering.
What kind of website should I get?
Depends on your business goals, what kind of service or product you are selling and budget.
Standard 5-page static website- This is best for small businesses wanting a nice informational website without added features like shopping cart and control over back-end. You will still get a good contact form feature and social media links if needed.
E-Commerce website with CMS- This is best if you are selling various products and would like to be able to add/delete products, prices and such yourself. This kind of website will be a little more of an investment initially, but it will save you tons of money down the line because you will have control over many aspects.
E-Commerce site without CMS- Great option if you are selling products but will not need frequent updating.
Wordpress Blog or Website- This is best if you have a business that creates buzz (for example, boutique PR firm, event planning, wedding planner etc). This will allow you to post photos and blog posts, but still have standard website pages like "about"
and "contact."
How do I get good search engine rankings, good search engine optimization (SEO) for my site?
Your designer/developer must use good SEO practices when programming your site, like using good tags, keywords, page titles and more. Additionally, a website with a blog feed or a website (like a wordpress website) where you have back-end access to add articles, photos, titles etc. is an excellent way to keep content fresh. Offer a FAQ page, newsletter sign-up, and useful resources page.
HOT TIP- Search engines love content-rich websites full of relevant information. Make sure you change articles and keep your content fresh. SEO is an on-going effort, not a one-time deal.
Mili Suleman, freelance graphic designer based out of Dallas, Texas, offers small businesses a one stop shop to boutique style branding and design without the agency price tag. Her specialities include print marketing, packaging design, label design, and product photography. She is Owner and Lead Designer at Schnauz Design.
Mili can be reached at mili@schnauzdesign.com or mobile 817.456.6622.
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